


Basketball Diplomacy

by Toshua



Category: NCIS, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Basketball, Coaches, Diplomacy, Gen, Rules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:15:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27283270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toshua/pseuds/Toshua
Summary: When a trade deal involves teaching and learning basketball life is a little more complicated for Atlantis.
Relationships: Anthony DiNozzo - Relationship, Jennifer Keller - Relationship, John Sheppard - Relationship, Rodney McKay - Relationship, Ronon Dex - Relationship, Sam Carter - Relationship, Teyla Emmagan - Relationship
Comments: 26
Kudos: 165





	1. The beginning of a mission

**Author's Note:**

> I have to thank Wereleopard58 for this idea. Her series 'Atlantis' had one small scene and this is the result. I wanted to write a paragraph not a novelette. If you're into basketball and I got some things wrong, sorry. I never played, just watched a lot of NBA playoffs. This isn't a shoot 'em up space adventure, more of the day to day gotta get something done story. The mention of NCIS and Tony's previous life as an agent is maybe two sentences long. That history doesn't have a baring on the story.
> 
> I didn't touch on things like power usage to dial Earth, planetary conflicts, the politics of Pegasus, etc. Those topics have been covered in hundreds of stories and I ignored them.
> 
> The characters aren't mine. The universes belong to a whole bunch of people and I just visit from time to time. All mistakes are mine as I don't have a beta (I'd love to have a beta.)
> 
> This is what happens when you're stuck at home during a pandemic and you have access to tons of fan fiction.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Somehow it got away from him. His original idea of basketball for exercise and team building had grown legs and exploded into life. His concept of a night of pick-up games or HORSE or three on one cut-throat had grown into four teams of hard core fanatics, demanding two or three nights a week, a dedicated basketball court, workout drills and strategy lessons.

Tony groaned as he stretched his back. He was older than most of the Marines he was spending his evenings with as he played basketball or ran drills. It didn’t matter that injuries from a previous life were healed. You couldn’t stop the march of time. Tony looked at the whiteboard that took up one wall of his office. It wasn’t really a whiteboard but it worked. Atlantis understood what he needed once he explained to the AI his idea and immediately a glass wall turned into a writable surface that responded to his words and didn’t need a stylus. Currently the wall was covered in a rough schedule that incorporated weekly games, practice times and duty schedules for the players. ‘OFF WORLD’, underlined in thick lines, took up a corner of the board along with a bunch of question marks. Tony stared at the words. Several weeks before a delegation from one of their trading partners had been fascinated by an in-progress game. Before the traders departed they had a promise of a ball, a court and lessons on how to play. Within days other planets were asking questions and wanting to trade for the knowledge. Colonel Carter was thrilled at the possibility of more trade avenues.Anything that helped make Atlantis self-sustaining was a plus in her book. 

Colonel Sheppard, Teyla Emmmagan, Ronon Dex and Tony took on the first off world basketball trade negotiations. They loaded a puddlejumper with a basketball backboard and net mounted on a post equipped with wheels and weights, a couple of basketballs, a hand pump and a large diagram of a court translated into Ancient. Tony had thrown a 100 foot tape measure, several cans of spray paint, a level and anything else he could think of that might be needed to build a court, into a canvas bag. At the last moment he grabbed a couple shovels and rakes and several pairs of work gloves. The jumper departed smoothly before Sheppard started asking questions about what Tony had loaded in the cargo bay.

Tony shrugged and smiled. “I have to keep remembering we’re not on Earth. We can’t just spray paint some lines on pavement and anchor the basket. We’re going to have to smooth out some ground and who knows what else.”

“Hadn’t thought of that.” John turned back to his flying. “Good job, Agent DiNozzo.”

Teyla spoke up with her own questions and the short flight was lively with basketball 101. When they landed they were greeted by a group of villagers and they went to work. Hours later the crew from Atlantis were exhausted, hungry and feeling very accomplished. They’d worked side by side with five men from the village to make a half-court basketball court. From removing brush to smoothing rocky ground and laying out painted lines by DiNozzo’s instructions to placing the backboard everything went well. Teyla interpreted the invitation to an afternoon meal as she passed out bottles of water. The crew from Atlantis followed her to water to be used for a quick wash then to a long table containing platters of vegetables and pieces of steaming meat. 

Tony was hounded for information from the teenagers seated around him until he finally agreed to show them some basketball moves. The agreement to play with some of the older teens turned into a marathon of basketball divided between DiNozzo, Sheppard and every kid who could grab the ball as it was being passed between players. Sheppard finally called it quits when torches were being lit as the sun set. 

Tony collapsed onto one of the benches in the puddlejumper as the cargo hatch closed. “Whose idea was this?” he called to the air around him. He was filthy, sweaty, sore and grinning from ear to ear at the adventure of playing basketball with a bunch of kids on a different planet.

“Yours.” Sheppard called from the cockpit. Teyla chuckled from the co-pilot seat. 

Ronon patted DiNozzo on the knee. “I think you just turned into a hero to these kids. They sure didn’t want you to leave.” Ronon handed Tony a bottle of water and a small towel from a medical kit. “You know you’ll have to come back.”

Tony sat up and guzzled the water. “Not any time soon.” He wiped his face, then his hands. “Let’s delegate the next construction project to the Marine civil engineers on Atlantis. I’m sure they are very capable.”

John was dialing Atlantis’ Stargate. “Sounds like a great idea.”

Teyla’s home planet of Athos was the next basketball trade mission. She and Ronon led the mission with two carpenters and a couple Marines who played basketball all the time. Tony was involved in a criminal investigation and could not leave the City. Athos’ offered the equivalent of a herd of goats for a half court, a backboard and a basketball. The final negotiations settled with the goats staying in the village and Atlantis getting the milk and cheese. The puddlejumper returned loaded with bladders of warm milk and rounds of soft cheese. Colonel Carter led the way to the mess hall with their new treasures.

Within a month two more basketball courts had been built and Atlantis was running out of basketballs and backboards. Anava offered textiles and Teyla immediately jumped on the offer. The planet had lost a large percentage of their population to the Wraith recently and was struggling to recover. Their herd animals resembled alpacas with thick coats. Edowin offered produce and wheat from their small family farms which had survived multiple cullings over the past century. With four basketball courts in place Tony set up a rotation of soldiers to go to each planet to teach and play at least once a month. Colonel Sheppard dedicated a puddlejumper and a pilot to the mission. The colonel started seeing a lot of positives within weeks of the first off-world court. His soldiers were happier, more focused. Atlantis was a lot of boring guard duties interrupted with moments of terror and battle. His military staff were young and needed the challenge to keep them busy. Besides the interaction with other cultures they were learning different languages and the history of the people living in Pegasus. One of the surprises learned was that the residents of Pegasus didn’t know how to play. The citizens spent all their time just surviving. Sports, art, music, were all luxuries they didn’t have time for and had never developed. Atlantis and the Tau'ri were introducing new ideas.

*********

The chime on Tony’s door interrupted his evening of paperwork. He mentally ordered his whiteboard to darken at the same moment his door slid open. Colonel John Sheppard strolled in, all long legs and easy movement draped in his usual black uniform.

“Colonel. What can I do for you tonight?” Tony moved from his office chair to a comfortable easy chair in the small area he’d arranged as a conversation corner. The area he claimed as his office darkened while the lighting in the main living area raised.

“Nothing. The City’s quiet. No unexpected visitors, nobody’s demanding my time. Thought I’d pop in and pass on the latest trading news. John took the love seat while Tony got up and went to his mini-bar where he put together a tray of drinks and cookies that he placed on the coffee table he’d bartered for on one of his basketball teaching trips. John poured himself a cup of coffee before leaning back in his seat.

“I’m all ears.” Tony poured his own tea and opened a small pack of cookies he’d placed on the tray.”

“The planet we trade salt for bread wants a basketball court.”

“Really? That’s Wland, isn’t it? How many does that make? Six?"

Sheppard nodded. “Four half courts. Athos is wanting a second court which will be a full court. The adults got tired of sharing time with the teenagers. So this will be six. Then they will need some support to get rolling.”

“How’s Sam feeling about this? We’ve got more Marines teaching basketball than survival skills.”

“She’s ecstatic. Our food stores are in excellent shape and we’re beginning to stockpile other trade items. Anava delivered several pounds of alpaca wool to Teyla the other day. She took the wool to a seamstress who is weaving it for us. In return the seamstress keeps enough wool for several blankets and we get the rest to use however we want.”

“So we’re developing an independent barter system. Based on basketball.” Tony chuckled lightly at the statement.

“And salt. We make lots through desalinating water so it’s a great trade item.” John smiled at Tony. “Next thing you know we’re going to have to start thinking about a currency.”

“Please, no. That’s the last thing I want to think about.” Tony rolled his eyes at John. 

John set down his coffee cup and reached for a cookie. “The question is -- how are you doing? You’re the only cop we’ve got and now you’re spending most of your off-hours teaching basketball. I think you’re spreading yourself awful thin.”

“Same could be said of you. Every time I turn around you’re refereeing a game. You must hear that whistle in your sleep.” 

Turned out John Sheppard had a knack for following a fast game and making good calls. The second week of having a real game on a real court John waded into an argument over a foul and settled it. The next day a referee whistle was on his desk with a well worn rule book and a thumb drive. The decision was made. The next time there was a game John showed up in a white tee shirt with ‘Referee’ written in black across the back and the whistle on a lanyard around his neck. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Tony grinned. “Work smarter, not harder. Like you said, the City is quiet. Minor crimes are way down, the few major crimes are under investigation. The biggest issue we have right now is more cyber than anything else and Atlantis is tracking that. Rodney and Zelenka haven’t figured out if it’s a power leak or if it’s actually being stolen. If it’s being stolen then we have a bigger problem; what is it being stolen for. I can't do anything until I know if we have a possible crime.”

“Major ones?” John munched on his cookie while he went to look out one of the floor to ceiling windows into the dark at the ocean beyond the edge of the City.

“You have my report. A domestic violence case, theft of some equipment out of the hangar bays, one assault.”

“Yeah, that assault was stupid. Gonna cost a Marine a rank and a hefty fine.”

“Not my call. Someone in SGC gets those headaches. I’m just a beat cop.”

“Still you’re putting in a lot of hours. Between being a beat cop, a coach, a teacher and City teams manager, I think you need some help. If I find somebody that I think will help I’ll send him your way.”

“I won’t turn it down. We’re getting big enough we’re going to need another officer in the next year or so.”

“Especially if we pick up more refugees. That last group barely survived a culling. Their planet certainly didn’t.” John went to the door which opened silently on his approach. He looked back at DiNozzo with a smirk. “Almost forgot. Rumors around the City call you ‘Coach’ more often than ‘Agent’ or ‘Sheriff’. Thought that it was a good thing.”

Tony chuckled. “Yeah. Night, Colonel.”

*******

By Earth’s calendar three more weeks had flown by at light speed. Atlantis was happy. Being a living city allowed her to have a certain amount of influence on her residents. When she was happy, so was everyone within her. Tony was swamped and finally asked Ronon for some help. Crime was at an all time low but the basketball demands were killing him. The City had a solid 40 people who wanted real basketball; real games, real schedules, real practices. Basketball was a five day a week event, not the original once a week Tony had envisioned. After some intense training and lots of basketball videos Tony let Ronon take over the practice drills. Which gave Tony time to train up a few Marines and send them to the five (5!) planets with ball courts to teach and practice. The training was basic; how to dribble, how to pass, how to shoot, how to not foul, how to foul, what the difference between a technical foul and a shooting foul is. The list was huge. Tony’s small collection of basketball videos were being copied and passed along to anyone who wanted to watch them. But he was still a beat cop even though the majority of the residents called him ‘Coach Tony’. The fact that he carried handcuffs and a badge didn’t seem to be noticed. The biggest and longest investigation he had been involved in on the City had finally come to a head and Tony, along with Ronon and Sheppard as back-up had made an arrest.

One of the scientists had figured out how to bleed small amounts of power off the naquadah generators, store it in a capacitor, then sell it to an off-world buyer. By the time McKay, Zelenka and Kusanagi had figured it out one generator was drained to a dangerous level and a second one was compromised. Both generators would eventually recover but it had jeopardized the City. Rodney was furious. One of his scientists had pulled such a stunt! John had to restrain him from going down to the Wraith cage and verbally eviscerate the scientist. Everyone involved agreed that the scientist and all of the supporting evidence would be pushed through the ‘Gate instead of waiting for the arrival of the Daedalus. Sometime in the future there would be a trial and Tony knew he’d have to testify but that was what law and order meant.

********

Tony sat in Colonel Carter’s office and looked out the tall windows to the stormy ocean waters. Today rain darkened the sky and the water was as gray as his mood. Carter had asked for a meeting and his normal worries of not meeting expectations were rearing their ugly heads. 

Carter settled into her chair with a bright smile. “Agent DiNozzo, so glad you could meet with me. Coffee? Tea? Water? Anything?” 

“No. Thank you, Colonel, I’m fine.”

“Good. Good work on the power arrest. Glad that’s solved.”

“Thank you. Atlantis is also happy.”

Sam leaned back in her chair with a smile. “I have a problem/request/idea I need to throw out at you. You’ve been with us almost a year and you’ve really made some huge changes in our lives. Fortunately, they’ve been for the good and there are absolutely no complaints about what you do and how you do it.”

Tony sat up a little straighter in his chair. Has it been a year? He mentally rolled the calendar in his head and had to agree. Amazing, he hadn’t thought about his old position at NCIS or the reason he had walked away from it when an Agent Afloat position had been offered in a longtime.

“With the anniversary coming up, the question is -- do you want to stay? Or do I need to tell General O’Neill to start looking for a replacement?”

“Atlantis is my home, Colonel. I’m not going anywhere.”

Sam almost deflated. Her grin got bigger. “Thank God. Atlantis wouldn’t be happy if you left. Of course, that goes for everyone else.”

Tony relaxed in his chair “Anything else?”

“No.... Uh, yes?”

Tony waited with a raised eyebrow.

Sam picked up a trinket on her desk and fiddled with it. “Everywhere I go all I hear about is basketball. How much everyone loves it, how much fun it is, how many teams there are, how many players.”

Tony nodded. He and Sheppard tried like crazy to visit every planet hosting a team once a month. They took basketballs and basketball nets. They played, they coached, they re-drew lines on the dirt playing floors. When Ronon went, the Satadan did tricks with basketballs. Ronon had studied the Harlem Globetrotter videos until he could duplicate every routine.

“They want to start playing other teams, other planets, and us.”

“Colonel? They want what?”

“An intramural, interplanetary, intergalactic league.” Sam’s eyes sparkled and her face was flushed with happiness. “Think of the possibilities. Interplanetary diplomacy led by a basketball team. Tony just sat there, his mind completely blank. Sam looked at Tony and her smile slipped off her face. “Agent DiNozzo? Tony? Are you alright? Can I get you some water?”

Tony finally blinked. He looked at Sam. “Did I hear you right?”

Sam nodded. “Looks like you can put ‘Coach’ on your resume. Maybe Team Manager too.”

Tony lurched to his feet and paced. So many things raced through his mind. Logistics, training, game schedules, planetary coordination (planetary!). Finally, one thing settled. “We’re going to need a name. And uniforms, and a logo, and more basketballs...”

“Tony, Tony! One thing at a time.’ Sam was laughing at him. Tony finally stopped pacing. 

She continued. “The Daedalus will be here in sixteen days. I’ve already put a dozen basketballs on the supply list. What else?”

“Shoes. Everyone on our teams need shoes.”

“Tony. I need the list and sizes in 3 hours. Not a moment later."

Tony bolted out the door.

******

Tony was back in his office with Sheppard and McKay crowding around his desk. Getting a list of shoe sizes took a little time; turns out that particular piece of data wasn’t something personnel records documented. Tony ordered two pairs of shoes per player, one black pair, one white pair. The list made it to Sam with fifteen minutes left on her deadline. He included an order for several referee shirts, two with Sheppard’s name, the rest blank.

“Did she really say intergalactic?” Rodney asked for the third time. 

Tony nodded. “This is completely out of control. I never even imagined --”

“Life happens. Moving on.” Rodney flopped into a chair. “So not only are we introducing the Pegasus natives to Tau’ri customs and idiosyncrasies we’re contaminating them with our sport mania. Just think, before we arrived all they worried about was surviving. Now they have to worry about who can sink a three pointer.” McKay’s voice was scornful.

John chuckled. “Just think of the stories everyone is telling. We Tau'ri are obsessed with a round ball. 

Tony grumbled. “Not helping. I keep thinking of the Prime Directive.” 

“Doesn’t apply. Pegasus has already been introduced to advance technology. We’re not responsible. Ask our resident Captain Kirk.”

“I think anything that moves a village from surviving to living is a good thing.” Sheppard said quietly. Silence ruled for a long moment. 

Tony sighed and went to his little refrigerator. Evening was well established and he pulled out three beers and passed two over to his friends. Beer was a luxury traded from another planet for salt and lessons on how to harvest hops and convert it to beer. Atlantis carefully recycled glass bottles for the brewery just getting established. Another step in the ever growing trade industry.Tony looked at his whiteboard staring at a calendar covering the next thirty days. Five days of the week contained a block designated B-Ball from 1900-2200. It depended on who showed up and how many determined what happened on any given evening. Some evenings it was practice, intense one on one or cut-throat matches. Other evenings it could be working on teamwork and studying videos. With four established teams each player had a role and a skill set to be practiced. Tony had persuaded Atlantis to record the practice sessions and play them back on demand.

The official rest day was game day. Two games, one mid-day, one evening. Tony heard all the arguments for more but logistics stopped them. Duty obligations came first and everybody had jobs, especially Tony. Not only was he the local cop he was also the guy negotiating personal conflicts before a cop would be needed. Sometimes he stepped into a spat between the various branches of the military before Sheppard or Lorne intervened. Other times he had to be the cop investigating a crime. Then he was also the coach of everyone wanting to learn basketball, on Atlantis or off. There weren’t enough hours in his day. Out of the established seven day week that left one day non-dedicated. Tony did not want to give that up. He needed a day for himself and he was sure that held true for the majority of the citizens of Atlantis.

“I think we need to call a team meeting for everyone who plays seriously and would be interested in playing other teams.” Tony stated. 

Sheppard finished his beer. “I agree. We’re going to have to decide how serious we’re going to be about this. Playing among ourselves is one thing. We’re really putting our people out there if strangers start coming to Atlantis. We’ve been keeping control of people wanting access to the City by filtering them through the Alpha site. Maybe we ought to set up a court there and keep the games off the City.”

“Or at least on the mainland.” Rodney piped up.“That’s a thought. You think Teyla’s people would help? Bring a visiting team to the Athosan village for the game. Encourage trade and better relations between villages and planets that way." 

Tony looked at the calendar again. “Rodney can you send out a message to everyone to meet Tuesday in the gym?”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Atlantis, send out a message to everyone on the basketball server to meet Tuesday in the gym.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Tony groaned and took a long drink of his beer. 

John tossed his empty beer bottle into the recycle basket and grabbed Rodney’s hand. “With that we’ll say goodnight.” John pulled Rodney to his feet and headed them toward the door, barely giving him a chance to say goodnight.

Tuesday evening came way too fast. The discussion date gave Tony three days to come up with answers to every question he and McKay could think of. McKay wasn’t an athlete but he was a thinker. Putting his mind into ‘what if’ generated lots of scenarios, several Tony hadn’t even wanted to think about. Sheppard and Carter also had lots of discussion points. Tony’s whiteboard was covered. He finally gave up and concentrated on ten questions and answers for the Tuesday night meeting. Everything else would have to wait.  
Atlantis’ gym was a labor of love. In a previous life the space had been a conference hall of some type. When the humans arrived and the City was floating again little by little the room acquired weights and mats, all types of treadmills and exercise bikes courtesy of the Daedalus. Even a boxing ring was assembled in one corner. With the City’s help a basketball court, complete with a set of bleachers, had been built in one half of the room. Every time there was a gathering someone commented that the room was larger, brighter, friendlier. Nobody disagreed.

Colonel Carter and Tony DiNozzo strolled into the section of the gym dedicated to basketball. It was standing room only. Military and civilians filled the bleachers, sitting on the floor and leaning against the walls. There were military uniforms from all the branches represented in Atlantis, science uniforms, and every combination of civilian attire from Earth and local designs. Colonel Carter glanced at DiNozzo and with a nod stepped into the middle of the crowd. 

“Thank you for coming. I’ll turn this over to Coach DiNozzo in a minute because he has a lot to talk about. I know most of you have been involved in some way with teaching or playing basketball for several months now. Some of you are involved with teaching our neighbors, both on planet and off. You’ve helped build courts, taught the basics on how to play and introduced the rules to people who have never heard of the sport.” She took a deep breath and plowed on. “Couple of our trading partners want to know if we are willing to play a game or games with them. To say I’m shocked is an understatement. Our diplomacy with other cultures has been difficult to establish and maintain. If basketball breaks the ice I’m all for it. I’ll let Tony take it from here.” 

Sam left the room as Tony stepped forward. He waited a few minutes to let the conversations die down. “What the Colonel said is just the beginning. First of all, how many of you are willing to make the effort to see this through? We’re not talking about pick-up games or skins and shirts among friends. We’re going to be Atlantis ambassadors in Pegasus. Who’s willing to try?” Hands went up all through the crowd. Tony scanned faces, mentally doing a count. Atlantis would keep track of the details. He nodded his head and grinned. “Okay. Next point. All of us have jobs and a commitment to them. This is going to take a lot of time and effort. There will be times when Atlantis and our jobs come first and times when we have to juggle like crazy. If you are still interested, sign up on the basketball server tonight when you leave."

“Next topic. Teyla’s people have agreed to be our first ‘away’ game. We have some hoops to jump through first. They need a full size court which we’re going to help build. Then a couple of us, including Ronon and Teyla are going to spend time teaching their people full court basketball. And before you point out that Ronon and Teyla don’t know anything about Tau'ri basketball my answer is I need the languages that they know and we don’t. You can’t teach the rules if you don’t speak the language. Yes, our radios do a good job translating, but the programming doesn’t handle this. Rodney is working on it. I’m going to throw a dart at a date three months from now to try for a game.” 

A voice shouted from the crowd. “What about the Wraith?”

“Getting there. Give me a few more minutes.” Tony yelled back. “We, meaning me, will choose ten people as the primary players and four rotating players as our bench from the sign up list to be our team for this. Once those are chosen we’ll start practice. I know all of you who play all the time will want to be on the team. We will rotate players. The more games we play, the more players we’re going to need.” Tony took a deep breath. “Regarding the Wraith. Colonel Sheppard agrees we’d be stupid not to plan on them showing up. He’s going to have two jumpers cloaked over the village the whole time. He’s also going to have a squad of Marines on the ground as back-up.” Tony waited for a slow count of ten then pressed on to the next item he wanted to cover. “Colonel Sheppard is our only referee. I’d like at least three more when we’re playing as the‘away team’. Which means people who know the rules, can enforce the rules and teach the rules. See Sheppard if you’re interested.”

“Next topic. Compensation. No, you’re not getting paid for this. I’m hoping to work something out with your CO if this interferes with your normal duties. Consider this charity work for goodwill between cultures. “Next thing. Uniforms. For the moment when we’re playing ‘away games’ it’s going to be sweatpants and tee shirts. Dark gray or black pants, white shirts. Later on I hope for something more uniform like. Keep in mind we’re going to be playing people who have never played or seen basketball before. We’re going to be playing on a dirt court. The other team will probably be wearing sandals, boots, some kind of jeans or leather clothing. Most of you have been off world and met the villagers we trade with so you know what I’m talking about. We don’t want to show up looking like rock stars. “Final item for the moment. We need a team name. Colonels Carter and Sheppard will choose. Send all your suggestions to their emails. I voted for Atlantis Marauders but what do I know.” 

A hand went up from a woman sitting on a bleacher. “What about women on the team?”

Tony tried not to groan. He knew this question would come up. “Susan, you play with us all the time. You’ve got a fantastic lay-up. But when we go off-world it’s going to be whatever customs rule there. If their women wear veils and walk behind their men we will not have a woman on the team. You can fight for women’s rights on another day.” He waited for another count of ten. “No more questions? That’s it for the moment. Anyone wanting to play a game of HORSE stay put.”

The crowd started to dispense. 

John stayed at Tony’s shoulder as people left the court for the rest of the City. “You did good. Short and to the point. Who’s playing HORSE?”

“Me and you. I need the outlet.”

“You just needed to ask.” John pulled off his long sleeve uniform jacket and went to find a ball.

****

Wednesday morning found Tony in Carter’s office. He was on his second mug of coffee while he explained what the Civil Engineers were going to do to add another court to the Athosian village instead of just expanding what was already there. Turns out there wasn’t room to expand the existing court. Major Lorne was acting as ferry driver and Teyla was the interpreter. Carter nodded at the game plan and walked with Tony and the construction crew to the jumper. Both watched as the cargo hatch closed behind the six men crew and all the equipment. Carter eyed Tony. “Why didn’t you go with them?”

“Higher priority. One of the civilians reported a burglary in the resident tower. Today I’m a cop.” 

Carter squeezed his arm. “Call if you need back-up. I’ll be in my office taming the paperwork monster."

It had been a long day before Atlantis pinged Tony’s radio that the construction crew was landing in the hanger bay. Tony finished a note to his current case file and told Atlantis to lock his office as he left. He watched Lorne and Teyla leave the bay and fell in step with them. They were both filthy and Teyla sported an ace bandage around her left hand. But they were both smiling.

“How’d it go? And where are the rest of the crew?”

"Ronon and the Marines stayed behind to play a little with the kids. I told them I’d be back in two hours.” Lorne volunteered. “Teyla needs to have that hand x-rayed and I’m starving.”

“What happened to your hand?” Tony directed his gaze at Teyla’s injury. 

Teyla shrugged. “Bent it backwards with too much weight.”

“She was trying to out Marine a Marine.” Lorne chuckled.

Tony almost laughed but let it drop at Teyla’s fierce look. “Want to join me for dinner after you clean up?”

They nodded and everyone went their separate ways.

****

Sheppard, Carter and Tony were deep in possible team names when Lorne and Teyla joined them with their trays. “I can’t believe some of these suggestions.” Carter sank back into her chair in disgust. “Wha tare we, twelve year olds?” 

Rodney appeared from somewhere and hip-checked Sheppard to move over on his bench. He was carrying coffee and cake. “Who doesn’t want a team name that they chose? I would.” Rodney joined in. “What are some of the names anyway?” 

Tony pulled the tablet away from Sam. “Pegasus Flyers. Wraith Killers. Atomic Bombs. The Flying Circus. Atlantis Marauders, that’s mine by the way. Then we have most of the team names from Earth. The Bulls, Knicks, Celtrics, Lakers, etc. etc.”

“Wouldn’t that be copyright infringement?” John spoke up. He stole a bite of Rodney’s cake.

“Who would know?” Rodney glared at John.

“Me, for one.” Tony mumbled. 

Teyla spoke up. “Is a name a real concern on Earth? Why?” 

Tony nodded. “Oh, yeah.” Tony launched into the history of naming teams. 

Sam shook her head at Tony’s explanation, finally interrupting him. “Do we really care about the copyright? We’re in another galaxy. Who’s gonna know?”

Tony looked at Carter for a long moment, then sighed. “You’re right. I withdraw my argument.”

John chuckled and took the last bit of cake off Rodney’s plate.


	2. Play Ball!

It was always Christmas when the Daedalus arrived, no matter how many times it arrived each year. From new personnel to food luxuries, the ship was always welcomed and everyone not occupied helped unload and sort cargo. When Colonel Carter paged Tony over his radio and asked for him to report to the gym the agent was more than happy to drop reports and head that way. Carter was staring at a large pallet on a floater when Tony arrived. She glanced at Tony then turned toward the stacks of boxes on the pallet wrapped in plastic. 

Tony stopped for a moment then chuckled. He joined Carter with a laugh. “Think we’ve got enough supplies?” Tony walked around the stack of boxes that was taller than him. The boxes were shoes, obviously identified with the Nike swoosh. A bright red crate contained un-inflated basketballs. Nestled under the crate was a stack of backboards and hoops, minus nets. Another box was labeled ‘basketball nets’. Tony patted the stack before joining Carter. “It’s Christmas! How did you get so much stuff? I only requested what we needed and a few spares.”

“Thank General O’Neill. He made a few phone calls to basketball team suppliers. Told them he had a remote base that wanted to play basketball and teach the local kids the sport. Congratulations Coach, you have an official sponsor!” Carter laughed and patted Tony on the back, leaving him standing in the gym totally stunned. 

In the time it’d taken Daedalus to cross from Earth to Pegasus basketball had taken over the corner of the Pegasus galaxy that Atlantis called home. Four more trading partners were clamoring for basketball courts. Carter was negotiating basketball courts as part of their trade packages. That forced her to learn more about the game itself and what a village could get out of learning the game. Tony could only laugh at the whole thing. His knowledge of the game was vital but it had never included the politics of developing a team. During a databurst with the SGC he asked for some downloaded books and videos on everything from teaching the game to managing the sport. Daniel Jackson’s curiosity got the best of him and after a long discussion with Tony he promised lots of information. The next databurst contained more information than Tony could have imagined and he finally scheduled one afternoon a week to study. He pulled Ronon and John into his studies and soon one evening turned into a master class on basketball and all of the elements of playing, teaching, coaching and refereeing. Then the Daedalus landed.

Christmas.... Tony watched the basketball players tear into the plastic wrapped pallet and grabbed boxes of shoes. The volume of excited voices climbed as shoes were unboxed and tried on. 

Rodney slapped Tony on the back. “Where’s your Santa Claus hat, man? Because this is definitely Christmas.” Not being a player he didn’t have shoes in the pile but he was holding Sheppard’s referee shirts.

“Hey, Coach! We need a pump for the balls.” One of the Marines called as he dumped the flat balls out of the crate onto the floor.

“Should be a box of CO2 cartridges in there somewhere.”

“Found them!” Another player called and tossed the box toward the flat balls. John joined Tony and Rodney and watched the chaos in the gym. 

“Here Coach.” John dropped a Santa Claus hat on Tony’s head and draped a gray and silver jacket across his back.

“What?” Tony reached for the jacket and pulled it off. He looked at it, then at John, eyebrows climbing.

“Thought it was appropriate.” John’s eyes were on the pile of shoe boxes. Tony looked at the jacket turning it around to reveal COACH in white across the back. He stared at John. The colonel shrugged and remained silent. 

Rodney was grinning.“Don’t you like it?”

Tony slid the jacket on checking the fit. “Wow, guys. Thanks. Whose idea was it?”

“Carter.” Rodney admitted. “Something about symbols everyone would understand. Or maybe to make you immediately visible in a crowd.”

“Huh uh. Definitely have to thank her for this.” Tony zipped it, stuck his hands into the pockets and rolled his shoulders at the fit. “She’s got a good eye for sizes. Great fit.”

“She .. ah.. had us borrow your favorite jacket. We scanned it, photoed it and sent the info to Jackson.” Rodney mumbled.

“Guess it is Christmas.” Tony pulled off the red velvet stocking hat. “Thanks, guys.” The noise around them had eased some. Inflated basketballs were bouncing across the floor and teammates wearing new shoes were running patterns around a basket, doing layups and three point shots. Tony found a whistle buried deep in a pocket and with a big grin he stuck it in his mouth and blew. He waded into the players and accepted a basketball bounced his way. When everyone realized he was wearing a new jacket proclaiming him Coach they started clapping and gathered around him, slapping him on his back with joyful thank yous and congratulations. John and Rodney watched for a moment then left the gym.

********

A month later Tony took a couple deep breaths and reached for his jacket. Their first game with another team, on another planet was hours away. He patted Atlantis’ wall as he left his apartment. “Wish us luck.” Lights flashed overhead as he headed for the nearest transport. 

Tony was loading a jumper with everything he could think of that might come in handy during Atlantis’ first interplanetary basketball game. His list included extra basketballs, shoe strings, wrist braces, sweat bands, hand towels, hand pumps to re-inflate a ball. Dr. Keller was next to him, loading a large medical kit, heavy on elastic bandages, knee pads, instant cold and heat packs. Between the two of them their supplies took a lot of cargo space. 

Sheppard was leaning against the wall of the puddlejumper, watching what was being loaded. “You okay, DiNozzo? You seem nervous.” John tried for casual.

“Hell, yeah, I’m nervous. We’ve never done this before. Aren’t you nervous?” Tony snapped the last case closed. He glared at the pilot leaning against the jumper.

John ran his hand through his hair and shrugged. “Nope. Calling the game will be easy. The hard thing will be how to explain hard calls to people who don’t know the small details of a play.” John was already in his referee shirt and black sweatpants with black sneakers.

“What about security?”

“Lorne is taking one jumper and will hold position directly over the village. Lt. Miller will take a second jumper higher. He’ll be doing slow orbits over the mainland. Both are cloaked and armed. We’ve already got a squad of four Marines in the village. They're dressed as locals to blend in.”

“How many jumpers are we taking?”

“Just two. Going to be a little tight but I don’t want to strip Atlantis of jumpers or ATA pilots. Carter is staying behind. She agrees with me; we don’t want to strip the city of upper management. We’re going to be short on manpower in the city no matter how you look at it.”

Tony nodded at the observation. Even as they were talking the twelve member team was loading in their designated jumper. Each team member carried a small duffel with personal items that might be needed in the next three hours. They were dressed in dark gray sweatpants and a white tee shirt with a stenciled number and the last name of the player on the back. The player numbers were simple, one thru twelve. Tony wanted real uniforms, someday. Tony looked around. “Where’s Rodney?”

“Staying behind. He’s going to stay in the Control Room and monitor everything. He said to tell you good luck.”

“Ronon?”

“He and Teyla are already on New Athos. They went over this morning.”

“Guess we’re ready then.” The last of the players were in the two jumpers and John led Tony into the jumper’s cockpit. Sgt. Markham piloted the second jumper and it was lifting off. It hovered, waiting for Sheppard to lead the way.

*****

The Athosan village was decorated for a party. Banners and flags lined the dirt and cobblestone streets. The two jumpers landed in a space designated for them, just yards from the ball court. The court was bordered with stands and benches. Poles marked the corners with flags fluttering in the breeze. The cargo ramps lowered and the team from Atlantis disembarked. 

John and Tony were the last ones out and Tony stopped to survey the game field. He smiled and turned to John. “This is going to be so cool!” He trotted to the front of the team and led them to where Ronon was waving a flag with Atlantis’ symbol. A bench was set up for the team’s use. Everyone dropped their duffel and kicked it under the bench before dropping down on it and studying their surroundings, watching what was going on around them.

Ronon went to Tony. “Now what?”

“Now we play ball.”

The Athosan team was milling around a bench on the other side of the dirt court. Teyla was there and waved at Tony, beckoning him over. Tony compiled and stopped to touch foreheads.She introduced a very tall man at her shoulder as Leto, the coach of the Athosan team.

“Coach Tony, how do we start?” Leto spoke in halting English but his eyes sparkled in excitement.

John had followed Tony and Teyla introduced him to Leto, explaining John’s role in the game. Leto stuck out his hand, awkwardly following the Earth custom of shaking hands. There was a moment of silence before Tony clapped his hands.

“All right, let’s get started. Leto, John is the ref and he’s in charge.” He slapped John on the shoulder and trotted back to his bench. John shot Tony a glare before turning to look up at Leto. Tony took a moment to look around the ball court. Backboards were mounted at either end. Bright white paint outlined the court. Yellow lines marked the foul lines and the key in front of each basket. The dirt floor was smooth and hard packed. At one end a scoreboard was mounted under the logos of the teams and there was a stack of wood numbers waiting to be hung to keep score. Instead of a clock to count down the game there was a wheel divided into four colors with a digital screen mounted above it. One of the big hurdles that had to be jumped was how to keep track of the game clock. A typical basketball game was four quarters, fifteen minutes each. The clock could be stopped, backed up, or reset if the ref called for it. Tony, John, Rodney and Teyla had all worked on a solution and Rodney solved it. The concept of a game with a time requirement was something brand new to the Pegasus galaxy. But the villages with a basketball court had learned about a game clock, what it meant and how to use it. Tony pointed at his guys. “You five, you’re up. Go warm up.”

The game started with the standard jump ball in mid-court. The ball was won by the Athosan team with a fierce jump and a long arm. The play was fierce for several minutes before an elbow caught an Atlantis player in the face and blood flew. John’s whistle blew long and loud along with DiNozzo’s shouts of ‘FOUL!’ Play halted and Tony rushed on the court to tend to his player, Dr. Keller one step behind him. Once the injured player was off the floor and replaced, Tony stomped up to Leto and yelled at the Athosan coach until John intervened. After several minutes of intense discussion play resumed with another jump ball instead of Atlantis taking a foul shot. Tony paced up and down the edge of the playing floor, shouting encouragement and instructions. The first quarter finished and a break called. The teams went to their benches and reached for towels and water bags. 

Tony knelt in front of his players. “How are you feeling? Anyone need to sit out this quarter and take a break? He met each player’s eyes. Nobody answered the question. “Okay. At half time we’ll swap out some of you, then fresh players for the final quarter. How do you like playing on a dirt floor?”

“Don’t like it.” One player spoke up. “Doesn’t have any give like a wood floor.”

“It’s okay but my white shoes are getting dirty.” The comment brought chuckles. Tony grinned. “Okay. You guys are doing great. We’re ahead by four. Let’s keep it that way.” Tony bumped fists with each player and John’s whistle signaled the start of the second quarter.

The second quarter was more aggressive and intense. The teams seemed to settle into their roles and the passes between players were crisper, more directed and precise. But the game became more physical too and John’s whistles and Tony’s yells were more frequent. Minutes into the quarter a missed pass resulted in blows and suddenly both benches emptied and fists were flying. Tony missed seeing the play that resulted in the brawl but he had to help John separate bodies intent on causing damage. It took minutes to pull people apart and keep them apart. There were bloody noses and bruised knuckles on both sides. The game was halted until tempers cooled and discipline was re-established. After several yelling matches between team members and coaches John ejected four players, two from each side, and with a jump ball the game resumed. 

Tony handed out wet cold towels to his ejected players. Both were bloody faced and took the towels gratefully. “We’ll talk about this in Atlantis.” he growled at them. “Brawling is not good sportsmanship. No matter who threw the first punch!” Tony turned back to the game, wishing for instant replay to determine who was at fault. He mentally added video equipment to his want list. Play continued, a little slower, a little less intense after the brawl. Points were being racked up on both sides with Atlantis scoring more three pointers than Athos. The game had drawn in villagers on both sides of the court and no matter who scored there were whoops and cheers. The benches were filled with spectators and when the half time whistle blew the game was holding everyone’s attention. The Atlantis players collapsed onto their bench with lots of groans. Keller started checking the knees and ankles of several players who limped off the court. 

Tony was looking over her shoulder and was passing over ace bandages as she held out her hand. He looked at his team with a critical eye. “Anybody really hurt?” His team were Marines and nobody was speaking up. Tony frowned at that. “We’ve got fifteen minutes. Grab some water, hit the latrine and make sure you can handle the next quarter. I’m rotating out everyone Keller is checking. Most of the team headed for the tub with bottled water and the area near the parked jumpers designated as the latrine. Tony focused back on Keller and the player she was working on. “How is he?”

“Nothing major. I wrapped his ankle and eased the shoe back on. He’ll be able to play in the last quarter if you need him.” She patted the leg she had been working on. “Keep it elevated for a little bit, Pete. You just twisted it.” She turned her attention to the other player as she shook a chemical ice pack and wrapped it around a rapidly swelling knee. “Sorry, Tom, you’re done.” 

Tony groaned. Tom was his tallest player, his self appointed team captain, his designated center. He offered Tom a small smile. “You did good. Louis will sub for you.” Tony patted the injured player on the shoulder. DiNozzo got up from his kneeling position and looked around. The team was milling around, getting ready to play again. He approached his group, meeting Louis’ eye and nodded. “Louis, you’re up. Okay, guys. We’re down our tallest player and our best three-point shooter. I’m not much for pep talks. Do your best and don’t get hurt.”

John’s whistle blew and the game was on again. Tony was pacing along the edge of the court, watching both teams. He took a moment to watch John who hadn’t stopped moving since the first whistle blew. Tony knew he was already mentally worn; John must be close to exhaustion. But the man was running the length of the court constantly.

Keller stopped Tony in his pacing. “I never paid much attention to basketball. Is it really as tough as it looks?”

“This is nothing. You ought to watch a couple NBA play-off games. That level of play is tough. This is barely college level.” Tony’s eyes were on a play that sent the ball off the court and an Athos player went after it, crashing into the spectators. John’s whistle blew and the other team called a time-out. The players drifted off the court, gathering around the coaches. Tony touched fists with each player with a word of encouragement. Five minutes later the time-out was over and Atlantis team had the ball. 

Keller watched Tony watch the game.“Did you play? Professionally?”

“What?” Tony cast a quick glance at the woman. “Uh, yeah. College. Final four.”

“What’s ‘final four’?” Keller had to pace with Tony to keep the conversation going. 

Tony shot her a wide smile. “I see I need to educate some people. Let’s plan a basketball video night.” He went back to watching the game. The whistle blew and there was one more quarter. As the players filed off the court Tony excused himself from the conversation and started making his final substitutions for the last push. Atlantis was up by two.

“Okay guys. We’ve got fifteen minutes to shine. If you’ve been holding back, don’t. I really want to win this. But I want to really show our opponents how basketball can be played. This is our first interplanetary game. Let’s show them how it’s done.” Tony bumped fist with each player as they trotted back on the court. The last fifteen minutes took thirty. From time outs on both sides to almost brawls, the pressure was being felt by both sides. But John kept the game going; his whistle blowing almost constantly. At the two minute mark John called for a time-out and took a minute to just sit down and pant, gulping water. Both coaches approached him to make sure he was okay. John waved them away and after five minutes for himself he whistled for the game to continue. The final whistle blew and Atlantis had won by four. 

Spectators were yelling and clapping and stomping feet in celebration. Both teams gathered in center court to shake hands and pound on backs. Villagers gathered around the players in their own congratulations. Behind the village in a nearby field the jumpers that had been patrolling overhead landed. The cargo hatch lowered and the crews joined in the celebration.

********

Hours later Tony herded an exhausted John Sheppard into a jumper and pushed him into the pilot seat. Ronon had appointed himself the task of rounding up the Atlantis team and getting them back to the jumpers as the celebration moved into the night. The Marines stationed in the village did a final sweep of the area to make sure none of the Atlantis citizens were left behind. Once the cargo ramp was raised and John wearily commanded the jumper to lift and rise into the atmosphere a cheer went up through the Atlantis crew. 

Ronon was in the co-pilot seat and he reached around and pounded John on the back. “You were awesome! I didn’t know a game could be played like that!” Ronon was all smiles.

John nodded. “Thank Tony. He started this.” He was focusing his weary brain on getting home. He was going to have to rethink how much effort and energy he was going to put into being the sole referee on away games because this wasn’t working. He leaned back into the pilot’s seat and rubbed his neck. He needed a long hot shower and a deep massage. 

Tony was sprawled on a bench and watched Keller work on various players with minor injuries. A hard packed dirt court was not an ideal playing surface and it showed. He needed to think about how a wood court could be constructed. Something else on his to do list. 

Keller finished rubbing some pain deadening oil into another knee and wiped her hands on a towel. She settled next to Tony and took the offered bottle of water with a nod of thanks. “So, when is the next one?” She sipped her water and watched Tony open his eyes and stare into the distance. 

He shook his head.“I don’t know. We’ve got to rethink a few things before committing to another one.”

John turned his pilot’s chair so he could look at his passengers. “I agree. While this was a great first time, we need to refine some of our commitments.”

Tony nodded, rubbing his own knees. While he wasn’t hurting like he’d been playing he still felt all the running. 

Keller offered the oil for Tony’s knees. She glanced at John who was still focused on his passengers. “Do we have a name for our team yet?”

Tony shook his head. “Lots of suggestions, nothing that has felt right.”

Keller looked around the weary group. They didn’t look like a professional basketball team. They didn’t look like a squad of elite soldiers either. Right now they looked like a group of worn out college kids in need of a shower. “I like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ myself. Has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?”

Tony looked at John, then Ronon. He chuckled. His soft laugh was echoed in John’s. 

The pilot turned back to the jumper controls. “Why not? It's what we are, what we do." John was all grins.

Tony kept laughing. “Why not indeed?”

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Hope it was enjoyable. I wanted to do another chapter where the team gets challenged by the SGC but it just won't come together no matter how hard I try. I wanted the team to come through the 'Gate decked out in black and silver but that's as far as I could see. Maybe someday.


End file.
